Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 10867)
The short title of Republic Act No. 10867 is the 'National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act'.
It is the policy of the State to promote and maintain an effective, modern, gender-responsive, competent, and highly trained investigative body that is functionally integrated and national in scope through the enhancement and modernization of the NBI.
The NBI is reorganized into the Office of the Director, Office of the Deputy Director for Administration, Office of the Deputy Director for Operations, and Offices of the Assistant Directors for Investigation Service, Intelligence Service, Comptroller Service, Human Resource and Management Service, Forensic and Scientific Research Service, Legal Service, and Information and Communications Technology Service. Additionally, Regional Offices shall be established in every region and District Offices in every province.
The NBI has powers including investigation and detection of enumerated crimes, issuing subpoenas, acting as a national clearing house of criminal records, rendering technical assistance, assisting in extradition and mutual legal assistance cases, establishing an NBI Academy, maintaining forensic and cyber investigation centers, requesting assistance from other government agencies, conducting intelligence operations, entering into contracts, maintaining databases such as DNA and ballistic records, among others.
The NBI has primary jurisdiction over cases such as human trafficking in airports, extrajudicial killings by state security forces against media practitioners and activists, killings of justices and judges, violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, certain anti-graft cases, anti-dummy law violations, threats or assaults against high government officials, transnational crimes under international agreements, identification in mass fatality incidents, and violations of certain commercial, economic, financial, and white-collar crimes.
The NBI Director is appointed by the President of the Philippines. The Director must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, a member of the Philippine Bar, and have at least fifteen years of law practice experience, preferably from within the ranks of Directors.
NBI agents must be Filipino citizens, of good moral character, either members of the Philippine Bar or holders of a baccalaureate degree with a relevant government licensure examination passed, and must have successfully passed competitive mental and physical examinations required by the NBI.
Benefits include healthcare services through an HMO, accident insurance, trainings and scholarships, longevity pay, hazard pay, transportation benefits, and coverage of fees for relevant seminars and professional licenses including Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) for lawyers.
Funding is sourced from collections of NBI clearance and certification fees, incidental income from trainings, proceeds from the sale of confiscated/forfeited goods, other fees determined by the Director, and the General Appropriations Act.
The Director formulates policies and programs, directs and supervises the NBI's operations, promulgates rules and regulations, determines reasonable allowances and benefits, creates or abolishes divisions and positions, deploys personnel abroad, hires consultants, issues mission orders and firearms permits, designates informants, disciplines personnel, imposes fees, and performs other necessary functions for the NBI's effective operation.